Cantilevered roll stands are well known in the art. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,257,835, 3,317,994, 3,296,682, 3,517,537, 3,672,199, 3,766,763, 3,881,336, 3,881,337, 4,087,898, 4,159,633, 4,193,823 and Re. 28,107. The main advantage of a cantilevered roll stand over a straddle mount type roll stand is the fact that cantilevered work rolls are readily accessible and adjustable without dismantling a great portion of the roll stand. The main disadvantage of a cantilevered roll stand is the fact that cantilevered work roll shafts are supported only on one end, and as a result, cantilevered shafts tend to bend and deflect away from metal stock upon which their rolls work. As the shafts rotate, the work roll pressure points and the directions of roll shaft deflection continuously change which causes the roll shafts to fatigue at an accelerated rate.
Inherent in the design of prior art cantilevered roll stands is vulnerability to a severe deflection of the roll shafts, and a large radial load on the roll shaft bearings nearest the work rolls. The prior art has compensated somewhat for this deflection problem by using roll shafts of enormous size and great strength to transmit driving force to work rolls which deform and reduce comparatively small metal stock. However, strengthening and oversizing of roll shafts has not substantially decreased shaft deflection and bending moment and also has not decreased loads to related components such as bearings.
The present invention solves these problems by providing an apparatus which rotatably braces work rolls at points approximately 180 angular degrees from the metal stock and work roll contact area to substantially eliminate deflection of the work rolls and the cantilevered shafts. As a result, the service life of cantilevered roll shafts and related components is greatly increased.